How to classify Lg tests?

1. Intended use: 2. Content: can be determined according to:

a. a theory of lg proficiency (proficiency tests) e.g., a theory based on
grammatical competence or communicative competence
b. b. syllabus objectives (achievement tests)
3. Frame of reference
• norm-referenced
• criterion-referenced
4. Scoring Procedure:
5. Testing Method:
• performance tests, multiple choice, completion (fill-in), dictation
cloze
Test Methods
Characteristics or facets of test methods constitute how of
testing.
These methods affect performance on lg tests. For example,
there are some who perform better on interviews. Affective
or cognitive factors have also been found to affect test
performance.
Thus context of the test can be influential.
A Framework Proposed by Backman
5 major categories of test method facets:
1. Testing Environment:
Test takers have been found to perform differently in different
environmental conditions. These facets are to be considered:
• familiarity with the place & equipment: a familiar place is less
threatening.
• personnel involved in testing: performance is different when the
examiner is superior, a peer, or a subordinate.
• Time of testing: early in the day might be better.
• Physical conditions: e.g., noise, temperature, humidity, seating
arrangement, and lighting
2. Test Rubric
• Test organization: Each test may consist of different parts with different
subfunctions. So their salience, sequence, and importance of each part may
affect test performance.
o Salience of parts: the description and instruction provided by test developer
can affect performance. Whether different parts consist of individual items or
not might elicit different strategies on the part of testees.
o Sequence of parts: arranging from easy to difficult. Of course it depends on
tester’s intention, for example in speeded tests, all items are of equal difficulty
level.
o Relative importance of parts:
Test Rubric continued…

• Time Allocation: Speeded-tests---- Power tests

• Instructions: Unclear ones increase test anxiety.
Important facets are:
o Language: native lg, TL, or both.
o Channel: aural, visual, or both.
o Specification of procedures and tasks: Procedures
(instructions) to respond.
o Explicitness of criteria for correctness: different scoring
criteria might affect performance. For some tests like
attitudes there is no correct answer.
3. Input & Expected Response
Input: the information contained in a given test to which
the test taker is expected to respond.
Response: is more complex. A distinction has to be made
between the expected response and testee’s actual
response. Expected response can be specified through test
design and can be elicited through:
• appropriate instructions
• task specification
• input
Input Format:
• Channel & mode of presentation: It can be aural or visual for input, but
different for response.
• Form of Presentation:
o A piece of lg: e.g., a reading passage
o nonlg material, e.g., pictures
o Combination of lg & nonlg material, e.g., a reading passage + some
charts and tables to be interpreted.
• Vehicle of Presentation:
o live human input
o canned human input: tape recording
• Lg of Presentation:
o Native lg
o TL: translation
• Identification of the Problem:
Expected response format:
• Type of expected Response:
o selected response (multiple choice)
o Constructed response: production of a lg sample in response to the input
material.
structured
unstructured (interview)
• Form of expected response:
o nonverbal: selected response, only make a mark on answer sheet.
o constructed response: lg + nonlg material: drawing a picture.
• Lg of expected response:
o Native lg: translation
o TL
4. Nature of lg input & expected response
• Length: varies from a single word to a complete piece of discourse.
• Propositional Content: is described based on characteristics of the information in
the context and discourse:
o Vocabulary: less frequent, more specialized, cultural, and words containing
figures of speech make the task more difficult.
o Degree of contextualization: context-embeddedness is the context full of
linguistic and paralinguistic clues. This idea is opposite to context-reduced lg use.
o Distribution of new information:
Compact: information is distributed over short space or time, e.g., oral interview
with rapid exchanges.
Diffuse: information is distributed over a long space or time, e.g., listening to a
lecture and summarizing it.
Normal (neither compact nor diffuse): there is adequate opportunity to negotiate
meaning.
o
Type of Information:
Abstract: mode of presentation is symbolic or linguistic
Concrete: mode of presentation can be nonlinguistic: visual,
auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic.
o Topic: the sbj matter of discourse. It is usually determined by the
writer. It can also be negotiated like interviews.
Familiarity of the topic can affect test performance. But it should not be
familiar to some and not others (test bias).
• Pragmatic Characteristics:
o Illocutionary Force: is the lg functions performed, i.e., to find out if the
examinee knows sth.
Input has the primary function of requesting a response.
Non-functional tests
Functional tests

Sociolinguistic Characteristics:
 Dialect or variety: They should be appropriate according to test context.
 Register:
5. Relationship between Input & Response
• Reciprocal Input & Response
Reciprocal lg: the use of lg by one individual to affect another one by reducing
the amount of uncertainty. E.g., a dialog
Some components of the definition:
• By lg it is meant verbal (spoken/written)
• There should be a sender & a receiver (interaction)
• There is a communicative role (illocutionary function)
• Feedback
• Nonreciprocal Input & Response
There is no interaction between lg users. So no feedback and
no effect on others. E.g., reading a book, watching movies,
letter writing. Cloze tests.
• Adaptive (tailored) Input & Response
If input is affected by the response, but there is no
feedback. The tasks are determined according to the
testess’s responses to previous tasks. The testee is not aware
of correctness of her responses, so there is no feedback.
E.g., multiple-choice grammar tests, computer adaptive
testing.
Reciprocal tests are necessarily adaptive, but not vise versa.